Nested tables and chairs



Feb. 11, 1936. E. BREESE 2,030,195

NESTED TABLES AND CHAIRS Filed Feb. 5,1934

J J Attorneys Patented Feb. 11, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to nested furniture, and particularly to a table with nested chairs or tables fitting in under the table and constructed in such a way that the nested articles such as small tables or chairs, are supported off of the floor, thereby enabling the table with all its nested furniture to be readily moved about on the floor as though it were a single piece of furniture.

The general object of this invention is to provide a simple construction for nested furniture of this kind, which will enable a table and nested articles such as small tables or chairs, to be held in a compact condition when not in use, but constructed so as to enable the small tables or chairs to be readily drawn out from the main table. Such tables are very useful as bridge tables, or for tables around which persons may sit; the small tables afford means for supporting glasses or articles for the convenience of persons seated about the table.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a construction to enable the table to be readily constructed of circular form, or of polygonal form. While the polygonal form of table is preferably of square form, the table may have any shape desired, including triangular form.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a table of simple construction, with nested chairs under the table top and supported on the main table, thereby forming a compact table suitable for use in playing cards when the chairs have been drawn out from under the table.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combination of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce efficient nested tables and chairs.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is .a plan of a table embodying my invention, and illustrating the invention as applied to a table of circular form; in this view a portion of the table is broken away to illustrate a small nested table, four of which could be assembled under the main table and supported thereby.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the table illustrated in Fig. 1, and illustrating the nested tables held off of the floor.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1 upon an enlarged scale, and further illustrating details of this embodiment of the invention. In this view certain parts are broken away.

Figure 4 is a side elevation showing a portion of a round table with nested chairs under the table top and supported off of the floor by the table.

Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4, with certain parts broken away and further illustrating details of this embodiment of the invention.

Figure 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4, and. illustrating means which I prefer to employ for yieldingly holding the chairs in their nested position.

Before proceeding to a more detailed description of the invention, it should be stated that in accordance with my invention, I employ a plurality of radially or outwardly extending members located below the table top. If the nested articles are to be small tables, then these supporting members may be in the form of cleats attached to the under side of the table top or located just below the table top. In case the nested articles to be supported are chairs, the supporting members for the chairs are preferably located at a low level, and may constitute braces for the table legs. In this instance, the lower portion of each chair is provided with means for engaging corresponding supporting members to support the chairs off of the floor and under the table top. When the furniture includes such chairs, I prefer to provide the back rail. of the chair with means for engaging the table top to hold the chair in its nested position.

I am aware that nested furniture has been constructed heretofore, in which small articles of furniture were nested under the top of a larger article, such as a table. The small articles of furniture were supported on parallel cleats between which the small article of furniture was guided like a drawer in a cabinet. A construction of that kind is ill-adapted for use on a round table. In accordance with my invention, it is unnecessary to provide parallel guides, but I nest the tables or chairs into angles of the outwardly extending supporting members. These supporting members support the nested articles of furniture off of the floor, and if desired, means may be provided for holding the nested articles tightly up into the angles between the supporting members.

Referring more particularly to the parts, and especially to Fig. 1, l indicates the top of a table which, in this instance, is of circular form. The table is provided preferably with four legs 2, which are located equidistant under the table and near its periphery. Under the table top and preferably against its under side, I provide radially disposed supporting members 3 (see Fig. 3) which are in the form of cleats, that is to say, these members or bars are preferably formed with rabbet grooves so that they present substantially horizontal supporting shoulders 4, which extend longitudinally of each cleat.

In this instance, I have illustrated a plurality of small tables 5, which are nested in the angles formed between the cleats. The top 6 of each small table has a curved outer edge 1 that is struck on a radius from the center of the table, but with a radius that is slightly smaller than the radius of the top 1. The top 6 of each small table has two substantially radial edges 8 which form a right angle with each other, and this angle fits into the right angle formed between the two adjacent supporting cleats. These edges 8 of the small tables are preferably formed with rabbet grooves, thereby forming shoulders 9 that rest on the shoulders 4 to support the small tables with their legs in off of the floor, indicated by the line H. Each small table has three of the legs l8, and these legs are preferably connected by a shelf 2 a slight distance above the floor. This shelf brace E2 has edges l3, which are substantially parallel with the upper edges 8 of the table, and these edges 63 rest against the side edges of depressed brace bars 54, which are in line with the cleats 3 and which brace the lower portions of the legs 2 of the main table. In this way, while the top of each small table is supported above, its lower portion abuts against the depressed braces l6, and this assists in maintaining the nested position of the small tables.

In Figs. 4 and 5, I illustrate the use of nested chairs 25, which are nested under a table having a round top 2%. The legs 2? of this table are connected at a lower level by transverse bars 28 which cross each other at the central axis of the table. These bars 28 operate as braces for the lower portion of the legs 21. Each chair is provided with means to overlap the adjacent edges that form the right angles between the bars 28, into which the chairs are nested. Any suitable means may be provided for this purpose, but in the present instance, I provide each chair with a brace 29 in the form of a shelf. This shelf has two edges 30 that extend at right angles to each other, and these edges project over the adjacent edges of the bars 28, as shown in Fig. 4, to support the chair with its legs 3! off of the floor. It is obvious that if desired, instead of having the brace 29 in the form of a shelf. bars could be provided connecting the two outside legs of the chair with the inside leg.

The chair is provided with a back having a top rail 32, and this top rail and the table top 26 are provided with correlated means for holding each chair in its nested position. Any suitable means may be provided for this purpose, but I prefer to employ a yielding latch device to perform this function. In Fig. 6, I illustrate such a device, which embodies a round-nosed plunger 33 received in the socket 34 on the under side of the table top and pressed downwardly by a spring 35 to an extreme low position. The upper edge of the rail 32 is provided with a socket plate 36 with a shallow socket which receives the rounded nose of the plunger 33 when the chair is shoved into position. In this way, the plunger 33 will yieldingly hold the chair in position, but by pulling the chair outwardly with sufficient force, the chair can be disengaged from the plunger.

In placing the nested tables or the chairs in their nested positions, they should be put in place so that they are supported on one of the supporting shoulders, whereupon the chair or small table can be shoved back with its edge remote from the supporting rail, raised high enough to enable the other engaging edge of the table or chair to be shoved back over its supporting shoulder.

It will be evident that when the small tables or chairs are nested under the main table, the main table can be moved about as desired, as though it were a unit or single piece of furniture. After the table has been moved to the point where it is desired to use it, then the small tables or chairs can be pulled radially outward and placed at any convenient point near the main table. The small tables can be used separated from each other for the convenience of a person seated in a chair at the side of the table; or, if desired, the small tables can be nested together by abutting their inner edges together to form a second table slightly smaller than the main table.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described herein, is only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and I do not wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, nor in the claims, to the particular embodiment set forth.

I claim:

1. In nested furniture, the combination of a table having a circular top and having a plurality of radial cleats attached to the under side of the top and extending outwardly from the vertical central axis of the table and forming angles with each other, and a plurality of nested tables having tops fitting into said angles and engaging said cleats to support the nested tables off the floor, the outer edges of said nested tables being located along an arc struck from the center of the first-named table top and conforming substantially to the outline of the first-named table top.

2. In nested furniture, the combination of a relatively large table, a plurality of smaller nested articles of furniture nested under the table top and having legs for supporting the same independently on the floor, said table having a pair of diverging supporting members secured under the top corresponding to each smaller article and disposed radially under the top, each smaller article having means at each side of the same for engaging over said radial supporting members for supporting the small furniture with its legs off the floor, and thereby enabling all the furniture to be moved about as a unit, and yielding &

holding means for holding the small nested articles of furniture against outward movement with respect to the relatively large table.

3. In nested furniture, the combination of a relatively large table, a plurality of small tables nested under the large table top and having legs for supporting the same independently on the floor, said large table having a pair of supporting members diverging from each other secured under its top corresponding to each smaller table and disposed radially under the large table top, each small table having two diverging side edges with means on the same for engaging over said diverging supporting members for supporting the small tables with their legs off of the floor, and thereby enabling all the tables to be moved about as a unit, the top of said relatively large table being of circular form, the outer edges of said nested tables being located along an arc struck from the center of the large table and conforming substantially to the outline of the large table top.

EDMUND L. BREESE. 

